


I Don't Wanna Lock This Door

by OwenToDawn



Series: Fanxy Child - OT5 [3]
Category: DEAN (Korean Musician), FANXY CHILD (Band)
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Caretaking, Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Facial Shaving, M/M, Mental Health Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:34:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22771828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OwenToDawn/pseuds/OwenToDawn
Summary: "Did Hyuk post anything today?” Hyoseob asks.“A few pictures, yeah,” Dongwook says.“He still hasn’t texted any of us back,” Jiho says. The faucet turns on. “Not even Seunghyun. I asked.”When Dongwook looks down, Hyoseob’s brow is furrowed from his frown. He’s concerned. He has every right to be. Unlike Dongwook, who’s depression lurks in the corner of his brain and the edges of each thought like a constant companion, Hyuk’s strikes like a meteor. It hits hard and fast and leaves Hyuk is a pile of rubble with no ability to put anything back together. At least that’s how he described it to Dongwook. From what he’s seen, Dongwook finds the metaphor accurate.
Relationships: Jung Dongwook | Penomeco/Kwon Hyuk | Dean, Kwon Hyuk | Dean/Shin Hyoseob | Crush, Seunghyun | Millic/Dongwook | Penomeco/Hyuk | Dean/Hyoseob | Crush/Jiho | Zico
Series: Fanxy Child - OT5 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1628101
Comments: 8
Kudos: 42





	I Don't Wanna Lock This Door

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is pretty self-indulgent. I wanted to revisit the dynamic I had said up for Hyuk and Dongwook in the first part about them both struggling with depression and also explore like figuring out how to establish boundaries but also push them to develop healthier habits. I hope that all came off okay. 
> 
> Title from SMT by Penomeco which honestly that song is very fitting for the mood of this fic
> 
> The next one in this series won't be so serious and sad I promise! Comments are loved :)

Dongwook finishes watching Seunghyun’s Instagram post for the tenth time and closes out the app. He can’t help himself. He knows Seunghyun is having fun on the nine-stop tour in the states, but he still misses him. They all do. For the first time in a while, Jiho, Hyoseob, and Hyuk all have breaks in their schedules at the same time as him. Seunghyun is the only one missing. Well…that’s not _entirely_ accurate.

Hyuk is missing too. His usual spot on Dongwook’s couch is empty, instead filled by Hyoseob’s feet from how he’s stretched out, head on Dongwook’s lap. Jiho’s in his kitchen, searching in vain for a clean glass to get a drink of water. Dongwook hasn’t been in the mood to do much, dishes included. Depression has been flitting a little stronger than usual at the edges of his brain, robbing him of his usual anxious energy that motivates him to clean. Making music keeps the worst of it at bay.

"Did Hyuk post anything today?” Hyoseob asks.

“A few pictures, yeah,” Dongwook says.

“He still hasn’t texted any of us back,” Jiho says. The faucet turns on. “Not even Seunghyun. I asked.”

When Dongwook looks down, Hyoseob’s brow is furrowed from his frown. He’s concerned. He has every right to be. Unlike Dongwook, who’s depression lurks in the corner of his brain and the edges of each thought like a constant companion, Hyuk’s strikes like a meteor. It hits hard and fast and leaves Hyuk is a pile of rubble with no ability to put anything back together. At least that’s how he described it to Dongwook. From what he’s seen, Dongwook finds the metaphor accurate.

Hyuk doesn’t let anyone but Dongwook see him when he’s going through it. Jiho and Seunghyun have never minded. They get that sometimes having people try to help when they don’t really _get_ what’s happening can make it worse. Hyoseob on the other hand doesn’t deal well with the idea that he can’t fix something.

“How many days has it been?” Hyoseob asks.

“Nine,” Jiho says as he takes a seat on the ground in front of the coffee table. “At least for me.”

Dongwook sighs and looks up at the ceiling, head flopping against the back of the couch as he pushes his fingers through Hyoseob’s hair. “I’ll stop by his place.”

"is that really a good idea?” Jiho asks. 

"What do you mean?” Dongwook asks.

Jiho nods in the direction of the dirty kitchen, an obvious acknowledgment of Dongwook’s own state of mind. But Dongwook knows himself. He’s in a downward swing sure, but he’s still showering and eating, so he knows he’s mostly okay. He can handle Hyuk.

“I’ll be fine. Besides, Hyuk won’t want you guys to see him unless he has to,” Dongwook says. “I’ve got it.”

“Just tell us if you need help,” Hyoseob says. “We don’t mind.”

“I’ll tell Hyuk if I can’t handle it and I’ll call,” Dongwook says. “You’re acting like this is the first time this has happened. I’ve dealt with this when I was in just as bad of a condition, we’ll be fine.” Neither Hyoseob or Jiho respond and Dongwook glances between them, eyes narrowing when neither of them look him in the eyes. “What?”

“It’s not that we don’t…trust you guys?” Jiho says. “We don’t understand why you two keep us out about this.”

It’s not Dongwook’s place to say. He’s not Hyuk, and he’s never had the same issues as Hyuk when it came to not wanting help.

“Now isn’t really the time. Maybe ask Hyuk once he’s out of this episode,” Dongwook says.

“When you go, tell him we love him,” Hyoseob says.

Dongwook sighs. “Of course.”

-.-

After Hyoseob and Jiho head home, Dongwook texts a warning to Hyuk before grabbing the spare key to his apartment and heading over. He doesn’t need permission. Hyuk’s given it to him for when he’s like this and hasn’t revoked it yet. It’s a system that works for them. He can understand, to some extent, why it bothers the others that they’re kept out of this. In a relationship with five people, it’s inevitable that there are things they only share with one other person, but this isn’t exactly something special like Hyoseob and Seunghyun’s spa days or Jiho and Seunghyun being the first to see each other’s finished work.

It’s mental illness. It’s Hyuk struggling and rejecting the help his boyfriends offer him. But at the same time, Dongwook thinks it’s clear that Hyuk’s needs should take precedence over anyone’s desire to feel like they’ve been helpful. Maybe he’s being too harsh.

He lets himself into the apartment and kicks his shoes off at the door. He sets a bag of food he had taken from his own shelves and fridge on the counter and flips on the light. As he surveys the kitchen, he puts his backpack with extra clothes on the floor. The kitchen is mostly clean, though the trash is definitely full of takeout boxes, but otherwise there’s no dishes in the sink or piled up messes in the living room. That’s not really shocking. Hyuk tends to hole up in his room.

Dongwook puts the cool items in the fridge and leaves the rest in the bag on the counter before heading up the stairs to where Hyuk’s room and studio are located. He passes the studio door and knocks on the bedroom one. He waits a minute and checks his phone. When he gets no indication that Hyuk heard him, he tries the door handle and lets out a breath when he finds it unlocked. Once or twice Hyuk has locked his bedroom door too and Dongwook had to sit outside until Hyuk finally got up the energy to let him.

Hyuk’s room is dark, and it smells of the usual funk that comes from someone spending every waking moment in a space with the door shut. It’s not horrible – the space just needs to be aired out. The blackout curtains are drawn leaving the room completely dark except for the small lamp on Hyuk’s end table bathing a tiny space near the bed in a soft orange glow. The comforter covers Hyuk’s curled up form. Dongwook can only tell where he is by his hair sticking out of the top of the comforter.

“Hey dude,” Dongwook says. “Can I get on the bed with you?”

Silence. It stretches between them and Dongwook ignores the way his heartbeat rattles against his ribs with anxiety. He gets it, sure, but that doesn’t make it easy to see Hyuk like this.

“Yeah…” Hyuk’s voice sounds shot, raspy and thick like he’s been crying too much.

Dongwook climbs up onto the bed, tugging back the comforters enough that he can wiggle his way under them despite Hyuk’s soft noise of protest. It’s not a real protest, Dongwook knows that. Hyuk just doesn’t want anyone to see him when he thinks he looks gross. Dongwook keeps the comforter pulled up over their heads though so it’s too dark for him to see anything as he presses up along Hyuk’s back. His hair is greasy when Dongwook moves it out of the way so he can tuck his chin over Hyuk’s shoulder and loop an arm over his stomach. There’s enough stubble going on along his jaw that it scratches his cheek.

“I’m gross…” Hyuk mumbles.

“Nope,” Dongwook says. “You’re never gross.”

“Ugh.”

Dongwook smiles and presses a kiss to his shoulder. “You think you can get out of here for me? We should get you cleaned up.”

Hyuk inhales, the sound shaky and wet like he’s about to start crying again and Dongwook ignores the way his chest aches. “I can’t…”

“That’s okay, we can wait,” Dongwook says. He slips his hand under Hyuk’s shirt and rubs his thumb along his stomach.

And they do wait. The air under the comforter gets a little hot and makes it difficult to breathe, but Dongwook just lifts the edge of the comforter and that helps. He rubs his hand up and down Hyuk’s chest and stomach, the motion slow but firm, a quiet reminder that he’s here and not going anywhere until Hyuk comes with him.

“Hyoseob and Jiho said to tell you they love you,” Dongwook says after a few minutes have passed.

Hyuk curls in on himself, breath hitching up. Dongwook knows he’s crying, but he doesn’t acknowledge it, opting to just hold him and make it impossible for him to feel like he’s alone. Time drags on and Hyuk shakes. More than once he wipes his face with his shirt and Dongwook swallows through his own tight throat and doesn’t let himself get worked up about it. Of course, it hurts to see Hyuk like this. But he won’t take the chance of Hyuk thinking he’s a burden.

Eventually, the silent sobs that wrack Hyuk’s thin frame ease up and he begins to uncurl, knees and shoulders and neck cracking as he does so. Dongwook presses his forehead to the back of Hyuk’s neck and keeps his breath steady, letting the puffs of air hit Hyuk’s skin until slowly, Hyuk’s breathing syncs with his and the wet sound from his tears fades. He rubs his thumb just above Hyuk’s belly button and hums under his breath. It’s a melody Seunghyun had sent him that he’d thought of last night. It’s pretty, a little melancholy. It seems fitting.

“Okay…” Hyuk’s voice sounds exhausted.

“Ready?” Dongwook asks.

Hyuk nods and Dongwook moves slow, pushing the comforter off them and letting in the dim lamp light. He leaves Hyuk then, rolling out of bed and heading to the on suite. He knows when Hyuk is like this, it’s all but impossible for him to tolerate the bright lights of his bathroom, so years ago they’d bought a night light that sits in one of the bathroom drawers that lights the room just enough to see and maneuver around without overwhelming him. Dongwook pulls it out and plugs it in and then peeks out the bathroom door.

"Shower or bath?” he asks.

“Bath,” Hyuk calls back but he still doesn’t move.

Dongwook turns back to the bathroom and heads to the big jacuzzi tub he has with a view that looks over the city. At least, it does when the curtains aren’t drawn like they are now. He turns the hot water on with a little bit of cold and then sets about stripping himself of his own clothing before hunting down the scentless bubble bath liquid Hyuk prefers at times like these. He pours some of that in the tub, sets a washcloth on the edge, and then heads back into the bedroom.

“Can you walk?” he asks as he approaches the bed.

Hyuk nods but doesn’t move. Dongwook waits a few seconds before sitting down on the edge of the bed and touching his shoulder. Hyuk shivers but then rolls back into it, flopping over onto his back and looking up at Dongwook with eyes that are swollen and red even in the dim light. Dongwook smiles at him and leans down to kiss his forehead.

“C’mon. The bath is gonna overflow,” Dongwook says.

Hyuk follows him, pulling himself out of bed with motions that seem so slow that if Dongwook saw them as a silhouette, he would think he was looking at his grandmother. Depression has never sat on him like a weight. When it grabs Hyuk though, he moves like someone’s weighted down every single joint.

When they reach the bathroom, Dongwook helps him out of his shirt and shorts and into the bath before stepping in on the other side. With both their bodies in it, the water comes close to the edge so Dongwook turns off both faucets before leaning forward and grabbing at Hyuk’s arms, tugging at him until he goes and relaxes back into Dongwook’s arms, back to chest.

“Hello,” Dongwook says, reaching for the bar soap on the ledge. “Can I clean you?”

“Yeah,” Hyuk says.

Dongwook dips the soap into the water and grabs the washcloth he’d set down earlier, soaping it up before rubbing it across Hyuk’s neck. He works slow, dragging the cloth over every inch of skin he can reach, pushing Hyuk forward to get his back and then pulling him back to reach his front and then down to his hips. Hyuk leans back and pushes his face into Dongwook’s neck. Dongwook ignores the hot splash of tears against his skin and gives a cursory brush of the cloth over Hyuk’s thighs and knees before setting the cloth back on the ledge of the tub.

“Turn around for me?” Dongwook asks.

Hyuk obeys and Dongwook soaps up the cloth again. His eyes slide shut as Dongwook begins to wash his face, touch gentle over cheeks that are dry from how much he’s been crying. He scrubs the salt away and then turns the faucet on long enough to rinse the cloth and wipe his face down one more time to make sure it’s clean. He reaches back to open the drain and lets some of the water begin to swirl away as he reaches for one of the shampoo bottles.

Once the water has drained a sufficient amount, he closes the drain again and then coats his hands in shampoo. Hyuk turns back around without prompting after leaning back to dip his hair in the water and soak it. Dongwook murmurs a thanks and works his fingers through his hair. It’s long now, the tips of it touching his shoulders, and somehow it makes him look more masculine especially when coupled with the hint of a beard he’s got going on. Dongwook’s pretty sure Hyuk doesn’t want to hear anything about his looks right now.

So instead he works his fingers through his hair as thoroughly as he can and then settles for a scalp massage. Hyuk hums, head lulling back. Dongwook almost hates to break the bit of peace he’s found, but it seems necessary. 

“You know, Hyoseob really wants to be here,” he says, voice as steady as he can make it. “Jiho too, but you know how Hyoseob gets. He wants to take care of you too, and I think he…he would be good for you, Hyuk, you know that right?”

Hyuk doesn’t speak, but his breathing doesn’t pick up like he’s about to panic either. Dongwook finishes his work, most of the suds already worked out of Hyuk’s hair from how much he’s run his fingers through it, and shifts to guide Hyuk back. Hyuk keeps his eyes closed as Dongwook supports him with one hand and turns the faucet on with the other. He stays still as Dongwook rinses his hair out.

When he’s done, Dongwook cuts the faucet off again and lets his hands fall to his side as Hyuk sits back up.

“I don’t want him to see me like this,” Hyuk says as he looks at Dongwook. “Any of them.”

“Why?” Dongwook asks. “What’s so special about me?”

“You…” Hyuk looks away as he draws his knees up to his chest. “That year it was bad for you, when you almost never left your home except to work. I saw you at your worst, you let us all see you, and let us love you as best we could when you didn’t love yourself, and it…I never pitied you for it. I could see that you were still trying your best. I know you’ve been there so I’m not scared of you seeing me like this, even if I’m…pathetic.”

“You’re trying your best too,” Dongwook says. “That’s not pathetic.”

Hyuk scoffs and if Dongwook could see his face, he’s sure Hyuk would be rolling his eyes. “I haven’t showered in six days. My room smells disgusting. I know what it looks like, what I look like, and it’s gross. You weren’t like this. You tried.”

“Just because my depression looks different doesn’t mean you aren’t trying,” Dongwook says. “You put all your energy into eating and staying alive and posting on social media to keep your fans happy. That’s a lot.”

“It’s not enough. I don’t want…I don’t want them to hate me,” Hyuk says.

“No one would hate you for this,” Dongwook says. “I don’t. Hyoseob and Jiho and Seunghyun don’t either. They _want_ you to let them in so they can help, and it’s not enough to scare them off. If you really don’t want to, I get it, and I’m not going to make you, I just thought maybe it’d be good for you think about it again. At the end of the day, they can get over it if not having them around makes you feel better.”

Hyuk doesn’t say anything for a long moment. Dongwook becomes painfully aware of how cold the water is getting.

“Can we try it one time? Just…just Hyoseob though,” Hyuk says.

Dongwook nods. “Yeah, I’ll call him. Can you get dried off on your own?”

Hyuk nods and Dongwook climbs out of the bath. He grabs one of the towels off the counter and pats himself down before heading back downstairs for his spare clothes. He pulls out his phone first and sets that on the counter before pulling out a pair of gym shorts and a tank top, tugging them both on before grabbing his phone and shooting off a quick text to Hyoseob.

_Dongwook: Hyuk says you can come over. Just you._

_Hyoseob: Be there in twenty_

Dongwook pockets his phone and takes the steps two at a time and heads back into Hyuk’s bedroom. Hyuk’s sitting on the bathroom counter, dressed in clean pajama pants but chest bare as he towels his hair dry.

“Hyoseob said he’ll be by soon. Want to help me clear the bed?” he asks. Usually after getting clean Hyuk has more energy, but he’s not sure if that will hold true when he’s already agreed to go outside his comfort zone by inviting Hyoseob over.

To his relief, Hyuk nods and tosses the towel on the floor. They strip the bed together, wadding the sheets up. Dongwook moves around the room, gathering up the various piles of laundry and adding them to the comforter and top sheet before stooping down to pick them all up. Hyuk heads for the closet where the spares are and Dongwook heads back downstairs. He decides to start with the clothes, separating out the lights and darks even though he knows Hyuk never bothers unless it’s something expensive, and throwing a load in.

When he gets back upstairs, Hyuk seems to have already lost steam. He has the new sheets and comforter set out on the bed, but he’s sitting on the floor next to the bed with his head bowed between his knees, face obscured by the shadow of the lamplight. Dongwook doesn’t bother him. He gets the fitted sheet taken care of and throws the comforter on top before heading over to the window.

“Can I open the window for a bit?” he asks, hands playing with the edges of the blackout curtains.

“I…not yet,” Hyuk says.

Dongwook frowns but obeys, stepping back over to where he is and sitting down beside him. They both perk up when they hear the sound of keys turning in the lock downstairs. When Dongwook looks at Hyuk though, Hyuk looks like he’s moments away from diving under the comforter and hiding, so he wraps an arm around his shoulders.

“If you want, I can tell him to leave,” Dongwook says.

For a moment, Dongwook thinks Hyuk is going to tell him to do just that. They listen as Hyoseob sets his things down on the counter and then starts up the stairs, and Hyuk settles for closing his eyes and pushing his face into Dongwook’s neck instead. Hyoseob steps into the doorway, pausing as if he isn’t sure he can enter. He’s wearing a knit red sweater. Dongwook remembers Hyuk commenting that he loved cuddling Hyoseob when he wore it because of how soft it was.

Knowing Hyoseob, he likely wore it on purpose. Dongwook’s heart flips.

“Hey,” Hyoseob says. “So uh…what’s going on?”

“Just deciding our next move,” Dongwook says, keeping his tone light. “We got cleaned up and changed the bed, but Hyuk isn’t ready to open the windows yet so we were just sitting and recalibrating.”

“Okay,” Hyoseob says. “Can I…”

“You can come in,” Hyuk says.

Hyoseob does, moving into the room and then taking a seat on the floor across from Hyuk, the uncertainty on his face clear. He glances at Dongwook but Dongwook just lifts his free shoulder in a shrug.

“Why don’t you want to open the windows?” Hyoseob asks.

Dongwook rubs Hyuk’s shoulder and upper arm, silently encouraging him to talk if he wants to. He thinks it’d be good if Hyuk verbalized what Dongwook already knows. Hyuk takes a deep breath. His eyelashes flutter against Dongwook’s neck.

“I feel like I can be seen when there’s too much light. It makes me feel vulnerable,” he says into Dongwook’s skin. “I don’t want to see myself, and I don’t want other people to see me either.”

Hyoseob nods and Dongwook can tell he wants to ask something else but he doesn’t, no doubt not wanting to push Hyuk so hard he clams up instead. After another moment of silence, Hyoseob inhales like he’s steeling himself.

“There’s nothing you’ll show me that will make me love you less,” Hyoseob says. “We can keep the light out, but whatever part of your brain is telling you that I’m not going to love you because I just haven’t seen the real you is lying.”

Hyuk goes tense against Dongwook’s side and for a moment, Dongwook is worried he’s about to start crying again, or that he’s going to get mad and tell Hyoseob he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Neither of those things happen. Instead Hyuk throws himself into Hyoseob’s arms, long limbs wrapping around him as he crawls into his lap, much too big and lanky to fit easily, but Hyoseob just holds him tight as Hyuk buries his face in Hyoseob’s neck. Dongwook sighs, relieved.

“You’re wearing my favorite sweater,” Hyuk mumbles against Hyoseob’s neck.

Hyoseob laughs. “Well yeah. I figured you’d appreciate it.”

Hyuk laughs too, but the sound comes out wet and Dongwook sees the moment Hyoseob realizes Hyuk is crying in the way his eyes widen and his arms tighten around Hyuk. He leans forward and rubs Hyuk’s back. Hyuk’s laughter dissolves into gasping sobs a moment later, and his fingers curl in the fabric of Hyoseob’s sweater. Hyoseob presses his lips to Hyuk’s wet hair and holds him close.

The washer beeps but Hyuk doesn’t even twitch. Dongwook gets to his feet and heads out of the room, confident in Hyoseob’s abilities to handle Hyuk. Hyuk isn’t really one to cry. It’s only when he’s going through shit like this that it happens, and then it happens enough that it takes weeks for his skin to properly recover. But Hyoseob is the warmest of all of them, so Dongwook isn’t worried.

He heads downstairs and moves the first load to the dryer and sets the washer up again with the remainder of the clothes before heading back upstairs. Hyuk and Hyoseob are gone, but he can hear them in the bathroom. When he steps inside, he finds Hyoseob sitting on the bathroom counter as Hyuk pulls out his shaving kit from the mirror cabinet and passes it over to Hyoseob.

“Is there enough light for you to see?” Dongwook asks.

Hyoseob nods. “But can you hold his hair back?”

“Sure,” Dongwook says.

He steps up behind Hyuk and sweeps his hair up in one hand before leaning in to rub his face along Dean’s scratchy cheek, grinning when Hyuk squawks out a noise of protest.

“Sorry, I’m just enjoying it while it’s still here,” Dongwook says.

“Don’t be stupid, it looks hideous,” Hyuk says.

Hyoseob sprays shaving cream into his hands and rubs it between his hands before reaching up to start rubbing it into Hyuk’s face. “No it doesn’t. We all have days or weeks we don’t shave. It doesn’t make you look bad. It’s just hair.”

“You don’t have to be nice just because I keep crying,” Hyuk says, then folds his lips shut as Hyoseob works the cream over the space above his lip.

“Well now that you can’t argue with me, I’m just going to sit here and tell you that I’m not just being nice, I find you devastatingly attractive all the time because I’m helplessly in love with you,” Hyoseob says.

Dongwook watches Hyuk’s expression in the mirror over Hyoseob’s shoulder. He can see the way Hyuk’s eyes water and go soft from disbelief. He wraps an arm around Hyuk’s middle and presses a kiss to the back of Hyuk’s neck as the soft scrape of the razor against his skin fills the room. He can feel Hyuk shaking, so he presses more kisses to all the available skin he can reach. Hyoseob works quick and efficient. Each pass the razor ends with the sound of the faucet and then the razor hitting the side of the sink as he shakes the water off and goes in for another pass.

“It means a lot to me that you let me come this time,” Hyoseob says, voice low as he works along Hyuk’s jaw. “I know it’s hard for you to let anyone see you when you think you aren’t presentable, so I appreciate it. I’ve been really worried about you.”

“I’m-“

“Don’t talk, you’ll get shaving cream in your mouth,” Hyoseob says, voice firm. He rinses the razor and starts on the other side. “You work so hard all the time. It’s okay if simple tasks become overwhelming sometimes, it doesn’t make you weak, and any of us are happy to come over and help you take care of the basics.” Another rinse and then he takes the razor to Hyuk’s upper lip, tongue poking out of the side of his mouth as he works. “That’s it, that’s my speech. Let me finish and you can yell at me if you want.”

Hyoseob makes quick work of the rest of the shaving and then grabs one of the washcloths to soak in hot water before he pats Hyuk’s face down and then passes him the hand towel to dry. Hyuk holds the hand towel to his face when he’s done, shoulders trembling. Dongwook releases his hair and helps comb it out to lie the way Hyuk likes as Hyuk regains his composure.

“I’m not going to yell at you,” Hyuk says. “I just…it’s hard to feel good about myself when I can’t take care of myself properly.”

“That’s what we’re here for,” Dongwook says. “You’re not a bad person for needing help. It’s not lazy. I promise.”

Hyuk leans back against him, eyes sliding shut. “I don’t know if I believe you.”

“We’ll keep telling you until you do,” Hyoseob says.

Dongwook meets Hyoseob’s gaze over Hyuk’s shoulder. It’ll be okay. Progress has already been made as far as Dongwook is concerned. Letting Hyoseob help was more than Dongwook thought Hyuk would have been capable of today. He tilts Hyuk’s face towards him so he can press a kiss to his lips, soft and gentle, until Hyuk turns in his arms and kisses him a little deeper. Dongwook pulls back and cups Hyuk’s face in his hands.

“I’m really proud of you for letting us both over today,” he says. “Now let’s go get some food in you, okay?”

Hyuk nods. “Okay.”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr at the same username if you want


End file.
